Drawer-locking mechanism



w. CHIPPER F IELD. DRAWER LOCKING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JAN- 5/1920- 1,370,0s9. Patented Mar. 1, 1921 2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

mew m w. CHIPPERFIELD. DRAWER LOCKING MECHAI'HSM APPLICATION FILED JAN. 5, i920.

Patanmd Mar. 71;, EZQK 2 s hET's-sHEn 2.

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UNITED STAT WALTER cnrrrnsrinnn, or norarofen, -nusnann.-

DRAWER-LOCKING arnorramsm.

Application filed January 5,-1920. Serial No. 349,590. 1

To all whom it may concern The present invention relates to metalcases containing oneor a plurality of slidmg *structures, hereafter termed drawers,

and more particularly relates to mechanism Y by which the drawers in their closed positions are locked and unlocked.

The object of-the present invention is to improve the construction and operation of the locking mechanism for such drawers,

and to provide an improveddetent device,

and moreover to render the construction such" that it is particularly adapted for use with cases, the composing parts of which can be readily separated for packing and transport, and which can be easily put together.

The present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, whereon Figure 1 is a sectional side I elevation of the upper part of a case fitted I with the locking mechanism according to the present invention, Fig. 2 being a front elevation, partly in section, of the parts shown at Fig. '1, and Figs. 3 show a'detent lever detached in side elevation, end-elevation and plan. j

According to this invention a two armed lever 1, of bell crank character, is fulcrumed on a horizontal pin 2, carried by a bracket'3 fixed to and pendent from the interior of the topof the case 1-," one arm of 40 the lever 1 extends downward and its end is pivotally connected to the rear end of the sliding rod 5, whereby the inner end of the latter is supported while the forward end of said rod 5 extends through a slot in the .45 front wall pf a downward flange 6 composing part of the top of the case 4, and exteriorly the rod 5 is fitted with a knob or handle 7 Y The second arm of the bell crank lever 1 extends rearwardly and about horizontally and is formed with an open forked end; the upper end of the vertical locking rod 8 carries a forwardly extending bracket 9 having a horizontal pin 10 over which the forked 5 end of the lever 1 is adapted to straddle for Specification of Letters Patent.

Pattern ted nai I moving the rod 8 vertid slidin and out. Byti rearward movement'of the 1 rock the lever 12, and 'rais'eftl 8 to lock the drawers, and'a a; ment of the sliding rod 5 wil locking rod 8 to descend Qt drawers.

Fixed to the interior of the flanged top of the case 1, at the front, is a bracket 1.1,

having two upward anus, see Fig. 2, between wh1ch the horizontal pivot 12 is carried, and the PIVOlZ 12 passes above the upper edge of the sliding rod 5,, while the latter extends between. the arms of the bracket 11. Carried by the said pivot 12 is a detent lever' 13, a rearwardly extending arm of which is fixed to one end of a helical spring 14, the other end 'of'the spring being fixed .to the sliding rod 5, so that when the sliding rod is slid inward to locking. position, the spring 14: is in tension, but in view of the fact that the pivoted lever 1 which the rod 5 operates causes but little friction, and also that the weight of the locking rod iscounterbalanced' by a light spring, such as 15, the spring 14: of the sliding rod 5 need not be very strong.

The pivoted detent lever 13' to which the spring 14 of the sliding rod 5 is connected at the front of the case 1 has an extending arm 16, Fig. 3, forward of its pivot, and a notch is formed in the upper edge of the sliding rod 5 into which the lateral arm 16 of the detent lever takes, as shown at Fig. 1, when the rod 5 is pushed home to locking position and by which it is held.

The detent lever 13 rearward of its pivot has a second lateral arm 17 Fig. 3, which extends over a member such as '18, Fig. 2,

which member 18 can be raised by a key inserted into the front of the case f1; when the member 18 is so raised the detent lever 12-1- is rocked upward about its pivot, and

its detent arm 16 is lifted from thenotch of fixed in the downwardly flanged top of the case 4' 'tvhichis constructed separately fromthe sides 19, and when such cases are being assembled the rear end of the top can beslidden into position so that the fork of the bell-cranked lever I automatically engages the .pin lO'carried by the up erend of the locking rod 8,' and the top 0' the case Aflcan be brought down to proper position land secured to the sides. j Having thus described my invention What l desire to. secure by Letters Patent of the United States is asf0ll0ws: I. The combination with a casing hav ng a "separable cover and 'drawer locking means, includi ngla rodvertically slidable in said casing, of means carried wholly by thecover' 'for operating said r'od,'sa1 d means comprissaid rod in looking position, said means comprising a detent pivotally mounted on said coverand having a transverse arm at one side thereof adapted to engage a recess in said horizontally movable rod, a spring @secured to said detent and rod for retaining said arm in engagement with said recess,

and means for disengaging the arm from the recess and including-a transverse arm at the opposite side of the detent.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

WVALTER- CHIPPERFIELD. 

